What is prescription opioid misuse?

You should only take prescription opioids for a short time and only as prescribed by a doctor, because they become much less safe when they are misused. People misuse prescription opioids by:

  • Taking the medicine in a way or dose other than prescribed
  • Taking someone else’s prescription medicine
  • Taking the medicine to get high 

With millions of Americans who suffer from pain being prescribed opioids to treat their conditions, the dangers of prescription misuse, opioid use disorder, and overdoses have become a problem nationally, statewide, and locally here in Orange County.